Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Take care of our Navajo Rangelands

Sunflower
Nidíyílii

Flower with bright yellow rays and very large disk

The common sunflower is native to the United States, but it has the potential to behave like an invasive, occasionally growing in dense stands. It is grown as a food crop for humans, birds, and other wildlife. It can grow in a range of conditions from roadsides to fields. While not called "giant sunflower," it grows to approximately the same height as its relative, ranging from 3 to 10 feet tall. The flowerheads are usually 3 to 6 inches in diameter. Leaves are rough in texture with toothed edges. Compared to the giant sunflower, Helianthus giganteus, the leaves of this sunflower are more oval shaped.

Other species of sunflower found on the Navajo Nation may include:
Helianthus anomalus, Helianthus maximiliani, Helianthus nuttalii, Helianthus petiolaris

This specimen has smaller petals than the previous one, but likewise has a large disk, which is providing bee forage
A bee feeding on the disk flowers of a blossom. Rays are bright yellow, and bracts are just visible between them.
Green, fuzzy bracts arranged in an involucre beneath the yellow petals of the flower
Growth habit with several flowers on a branched stem

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